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Pbotugrapli by Krnest Harold Eaynes 

 SONG-SPARROWS TAKING A BATH 



"A pool with foundation of concrete sunken in the ground . . . can be made a very 

 interesting feature of any garden, to say nothing of its attractiveness to birds. It is essen- 

 tial, however, that the slope of the sides should be gradual and the water at the edges 

 shallow" (see page 172). 



the planting of food for dticks. If the 

 lay of the ground is such that a meadow 

 or woodland glade may be flooded and a 

 pond thereby installed, there is hardly 

 any limit to the enjoyment that may be 

 deri\ed from a pond of this sort. 



There is a little woodland glade, con- 

 taining an acre or so, on my place, an 

 opening in the woods surrounded b\' red 

 maples, birches, alders, poison sumach, 

 white azalea, high-bush blueberries, etc., 

 ^vhich I flooded one winter merely as a 

 safe skating pond for the children in the 

 neighborhoofl. 



ATTRACTING THE WILL) Dl'CK 



Imagine 013^ surprise and delight when 

 one spring day, after the ice had gone, 

 I discovered there a whole flock of wild 

 wood-ducks, and later during the sum- 

 mer was able to watch a flock cif little 

 "fla] liters," the progeny of a pair of wild 

 lilacl< ducks that had bred there. Herons 



came there, too, and red wings fre- 

 quented the edge of the pond. From an 

 uninteresting swamp the place had been 

 completely metamorphosed into a very 

 attractive and interesting spot, replete 

 with bird life. 



If wild rice can be made to grow, 

 ducks will be sure to coine in greater 

 numbers each year, while regular feeding 

 with corn at proper tiines may prove an 

 additional attraction to whole flocks of 

 ducks during the migration. Tame call- 

 ducks may be introduced, and if there are 

 near-by woods nest boxes for the attrac- 

 tion of the wood-ducks should be put up. 



( )ne may e\en go into the raising of 

 ducks, though this is often both bother- 

 some and expensive, while the simple 

 flooding of a meadow and intelligent 

 jilanting of its shores is comparatively 

 little trouble. 



.Mr. Merbert K. Job, State Ornitholo- 

 gist of Connecticut, is ha\'ing some very 



174 



